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The Trial of Benedict Lorlas
Overview The Trial of Benedict Lorlas happened long ago, during the reopening of the Dark Portal. However, Benedict Lorlas was Gilnean, therefore making the matter something of recent controversy due to the inclusion of the Gilnean and the Afflicted Worgen into the Alliance's ranks. The Trial was over the murder of a High Elf traveler named Syra Corellina that took place in the roads of Duskwood and was witnessed by a patrolling Nightwatch guard known as Zeffe Johnston. The guard witnessed Benedict supposedly slaying Syra using a silver shortsword. This blade impacted Syra from beneath the left set of her ribs. The blade proceeded into the high elf's body, sliding inwards until it ruptured both her left lung, stomach, and compromised her intestines. The blade also pierced her back, cutting through her silky blue dress, according to Zeffe. However, Benedict seemed to have no recollection of the murder he supposedly committed and he was thrown into a temporary cage in Duskwood for further questioning. When information couldn't be extracted, he was shipped to the Stormwind Prison in order to be interrogated. Despite heavy questioning and a few painful methods of information gathering, Benedict still did not relent, remaining confident with his plea that he was innocent. There was a call for any acquaintances of Benedict to step forward. Two people, both close co-workers in the Mage Tower of Stormwind, informed the Stormwind Guard that they were sure Benedict would be capable and willing to commit such an atrocity. However, three others, the owner of a bakery in Stormwind, a young girl under his tutelage, and an old veteran, pleaded that Benedict was a good man and couldn't have done it. Conflicted, the Stormwind Guard sent Private Investigator Lawrence H. Wells to look further into the scene of the crime with the company of Zeffe Johnston and a few other guards for security. A few more clues were found by the cart left behind by Benedict during his arrest, including evidence of foot-steps belonging to a third party and a possible piece of Syra Corellina's rib-cage that was tainted by some sort of dark energy. After this, the case was left to a more neutral stance between Benedict's innocence or guilt. He couldn't identify the third party, but he confirmed that he remembered being engulfed by some sort of shadow before his arrest. He also pleaded his innocence again and said that he did not run his blade into the girl or possessed any sort of witchcraft or voodoo. This didn't convince Zeffe Johnston, however, who was convinced on what he saw that night. He relented to the authorities, and they were left to decide the verdict the next night at the order of the annoyed Baron Cardwell, the Head of Prosecution in Stormwind. Even with the new evidence, there was just no concrete evidence of Benedict's innocence. With supplies running low due to continued conflict with the Defias Brotherhood and expeditions into Outlands, the Guard had no choice but to relent and put Benedict to the chopping block. They shipped him back to Duskwood, where he requested to be beheaded amongst the people he spent much time with. He also wrote for his body to be sent back to Gilneas, to be buried. The body was indeed shipped by boat before the fall of the Greymane Wall. He was beheaded on the night before Winter Veil, and gloom washed over Duskwood as they lost one of their most mysterious and popular residents. Many in the Guard considered his execution a mistake, and there are still arguments over whether or not Benedict committed the murder. Zeffe Johnston has since disappeared from the Nightwatch and has retired to a small cottage in Deadwind Pass. They say that Benedict's ghost haunts the area around Duskwood and even the Stormwind Jail. However, his body was indeed buried in the Gilnean Highlands. They also say that Zeffe went mad after the trial, and many of those interested in the case bother him to this day. However, it is advised by the Nightwatch of Duskwood to avoid bothering the old guard, as he was a prominent fighter in his prime and a veteran of the Second War. Some say you can hear Syra Corellina's screams when you wander Duskwood on a foggy night. Some Gilneans have become very upset when learning of the Trial, seeing it as an unjust ruling against one of their people despite their neutrality with the Alliance. Some say it violates the Neutral Acts that also apply to the Goblins, excluding those of Kezan. However, whether one supports it or not, the Trial has been long argued, and the sentence long passed. Category:Trials Category:Law Category:Executions Category:Events